113 SRES 456 ATS: Recognizing National Foster Care Month as an opportunity to raise awareness about the challenges of children in the foster care system, and encouraging Congress to implement policy to improve the lives of children in the foster care system. U.S. Senatetext/xmlENPursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.III113th CONGRESS2d SessionS. RES. 456IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATESMay 22, 2014Ms. Landrieu (for herself, Mr. Grassley, Mr. Blunt, Mr. Casey, Mr. Cochran, Mr. Crapo, Mrs. Feinstein, Mrs. Hagan, Ms. Heitkamp, Mr. Hoeven, Mr. Inhofe, Mr. Johanns, Mr. Kaine, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr. Levin, Mr. Wyden, Mrs. Gillibrand, and Mrs. Boxer) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed toRESOLUTIONRecognizing National Foster Care Month as an opportunity to raise awareness about the challenges of
children in the foster care system, and encouraging Congress to implement
policy to improve the lives of children in the foster care system. Whereas National Foster Care Month was established more than 20 years ago to—(1)bring foster care issues to the forefront;(2)highlight the importance of permanency for every child; and(3)recognize the essential role that foster parents, social workers, and advocates have in the lives
of children in foster care throughout the United States;Whereas all children deserve a safe, loving, and permanent home;Whereas the primary goal of the foster care system is to ensure the safety and well-being of
children while working to provide a safe, loving, and permanent home for
each child;Whereas there are approximately 400,000 children living in foster care;Whereas there were approximately 252,000 youth that entered the foster care system in 2012, while
nearly 102,000 youth were eligible and awaiting adoption at the end of
2012;Whereas foster care is intended to be a temporary placement, but children remain in the foster care
system for an average of 2 years;Whereas ethnic minority children are more likely to stay in the foster care system for
longer periods of time and are less likely to be reunited with their
biological families;Whereas foster parents are the front-line caregivers for children who cannot safely remain with
their biological parents and provide physical care, emotional support,
education advocacy, and are the largest single source of families
providing permanent homes for children leaving foster care to adoption;Whereas children in foster care who are placed with relatives, compared to children placed with
nonrelatives, have more stability, including fewer changes in placements,
have more positive perceptions of their placements, are more likely to be
placed with their siblings, and demonstrate fewer behavioral problems;Whereas some relative caregivers receive less financial assistance and support services than do
foster caregivers;Whereas recent studies show children in foster care are prescribed psychotropic medication at rates
up to 11 times higher than other children on Medicaid and in amounts that
exceed the Food and Drug Administration’s guidelines;Whereas youth in foster care are much more likely to face educational instability with 34 percent
of foster youth ages 17 to 18 experiencing at least 5 changes while in
care;Whereas youth in foster care are often cut off from other youth and face hurdles in participating
in activities common to their peers, such as sports or
extracurricular activities;Whereas youth in foster care are more susceptible to being trafficked, and more needs to be done to
prevent, identify, and intervene when a child becomes a victim of the
crime;Whereas an increased emphasis on prevention and reunification services is necessary to reduce the
number of children that are forced to remain in the foster care system;Whereas more than 23,400 youth age out of foster care annually without a legal permanent
connection to an adult or family;Whereas children who age out of foster care lack the security or support of a biological or
adoptive family and frequently struggle to secure affordable housing,
obtain health insurance, pursue higher education, and acquire adequate
employment;Whereas nearly half of children in foster care for five or more years experience 7 or more
different foster care placements, which often leads to disruption of
routines and the need to change schools and move away from siblings,
extended families, and familiar surroundings;Whereas children entering foster care often confront the widespread misperception that children in
foster care are disruptive, unruly, and dangerous, even though placement
in foster care is based on the actions of a parent or guardian, not the
child;Whereas States, localities, and communities should be encouraged to invest resources in
preventative and reunification services and post-permanency programs to
ensure that more children in foster care are provided with safe, loving,
and permanent placements;Whereas Federal legislation over the past three decades, including the Adoption Assistance and
Child Welfare Act of 1980 (Public Law 96–272), the Adoption and Safe
Families Act of 1997 (Public Law 105–89), the Fostering Connections to
Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008 (Public Law 110–351), the
Child and Family Services Improvement and Innovation Act (Public Law
112–34), and the Uninterrupted Scholars Act (Public Law 112–278) provided
new investments and services to improve the outcomes of children in the
foster care system;Whereas the Children's Bureau of the Department of Health and Human Services has designated May as
National Foster Care Month under the theme to help build blocks toward permanent families for foster youth;Whereas May would be an appropriate month to designate as National Foster Care Month to provide an
opportunity to acknowledge the accomplishments of the child-welfare
workforce, foster parents, advocacy community, and mentors for their
dedication, accomplishments, and positive impact they have on the lives of
children; andWhereas much remains to be done to ensure that all children have a safe, loving, nurturing, and
permanent family, regardless of age or special needs: Now, therefore, be
itThat the Senate—(1)recognizes National Foster Care Month as an opportunity to raise awareness about the challenges
that children face in the foster-care system;(2)encourages Congress to implement policy to improve the lives of children in the foster care
system and maximize the number children exiting foster care to the
protection of
safe, loving, and permanent families;(3)supports the designation of National Foster Care Month;(4)acknowledges the unique needs of children in the foster-care system;(5)recognizes foster youth throughout the United States for their ongoing tenacity, courage, and
resilience while facing life challenges;(6)acknowledges the exceptional alumni of the foster-care system who serve as advocates and role
models for youth who remain in care;(7)honors the commitment and dedication of the individuals who work tirelessly to provide assistance
and services to children in the foster-care system; and(8)reaffirms the need to continue working to improve the outcomes of all children in the foster-care
system through parts B and E of title IV of the Social Security Act (42
U.S.C. 601 et seq.) and other programs designed to—(A)support vulnerable families;(B)invest in prevention and reunification services;(C)promote guardianship, adoption, and other permanent placement opportunities in cases where
reunification is not in the best interests of the child;(D)adequately serve those children brought into the foster-care system; and(E)facilitate the successful transition into adulthood for children that age out of the foster-care
system.